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High row

Also called machine high row, lever high row, plate-loaded high row.

What is a high row?

The high row is a machine pulling exercise with handles that start above shoulder height. From a chest-supported seat, you pull the handles down and back toward the upper torso, training the lats, middle back and rear shoulders.

Anatomical illustration of a plate-loaded high row at the overhead reach and pulled position, with the upper back highlighted.

How do you perform a high row?

Set up

  1. Adjust the seat so the handles begin above shoulder height and the chest pad supports your torso without lifting your shoulders.
  2. Plant your feet, brace against the pad and take the handles with the grip provided by the machine.

Execution

  1. Pull the handles down and back, leading with your elbows while your chest stays on the pad.
  2. Finish when the elbows pass the torso and the shoulder blades draw back without shrugging.
  3. Return the handles under control until the arms are straight and the upper back reaches forward without the weights slamming down.

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the chest pad

    Torso movement shortens the pull and uses body weight to move the handles.

  • Pulling only with the hands

    Leading the elbows down and back keeps the intended shoulder and upper-back motion in the repetition.

  • Stopping the return early

    A controlled forward reach restores the starting range; holding the shoulders pinned back turns every rep into a shorter one.

Where it fits in a session

As a main machine pull or after free-weight rows in a back or upper-body session.

Machine lever paths vary. Repeat the same seat setting, grip and reach when tracking progress, and use a load that keeps the chest on the pad.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The upper and mid-back muscles pull the elevated handles down and back while the elbow flexors assist.

Variations

  • Single-arm high row — Pulls one lever at a time while the chest stays supported.
  • Anatomical illustration of a man performing a seated lever machine row, with the upper and middle back highlighted.
    Machine rowUses a more horizontal handle path toward the torso.
  • Two frames of an anatomical illustration of a seated cable lat pulldown, seen from behind. On the left the lifter sits on a flat bench facing a weight-stack machine with both arms straight overhead, gripping a wide cambered lat bar overhand at more than shoulder width; the bar hangs from a single cable over the head. On the right the bar has been pulled down in front of the head to shoulder height, elbows driven down and out to the sides, the middle of the bar hidden by the head and shoulders because it passes in front of the body. Shaded in red across both frames: the latissimus dorsi sweeping from the lower back up to the armpit, the teres major and the muscles between the shoulder blades, the whole trapezius from the neck down to mid-back, the rear shoulders and the upper arms. The spinal column strip and the legs are left unshaded.
    Lat pulldownPulls a bar from overhead toward the chest with a more vertical path.
  • Anatomical illustration of a seated cable row in two frames, side by side. In both, a muscle-anatomy figure sits on a flat bench facing a low pulley on a weight-stack tower, feet braced on the machine's footplate and knees slightly bent, holding a short straight bar with a narrow overhand grip. In the left frame the arms are straight out in front and the shoulders reach forward; in the right frame the bar has been drawn in to the midsection with the elbows back past the ribs and the shoulder blades pulled together. Red highlighting in both frames covers the back of the shoulder and the muscles across the upper and middle back either side of the spine, spreading down the outer back in the finish frame.
    Seated cable rowUses a low cable and a horizontal pull rather than elevated machine levers.

Related tools

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does a high row work?

It trains the latissimus dorsi, middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids and rear deltoids. The biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis assist by bending the elbows.

How is a high row different from a machine row?

A high row starts with the handles elevated and pulls them down and back. A standard machine row usually pulls more horizontally toward the torso.

Where should the handles finish?

They should finish near the upper torso when the elbows have moved behind you and the shoulder blades have drawn back. The exact point depends on the machine's lever path.

Should my chest leave the pad?

No. Keep the chest supported through the pull and return. If you need to lean back to finish, reduce the load or adjust the seat.

Can I do high rows one arm at a time?

Yes, if the machine has independent levers. Keep the torso square against the pad and use the same range on each side.

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